i need to control myself not to buy one of everything when new gold shop items come out....i try to use them, but sometimes it is hard.
However, i remember when i joined and the beginning items and gold shop items were rather...well, simple. now, everything is so much more awesome!

I just love some of the new gold shop items that have been showing up recently, and I have noticed an increase in quality for some as well, its nice to see and use them indeed, like the jackets emotion_kirakira

I've always adored gold shop items, probably because they are usually the ones that I can afford. I've always been horrible at conserving gaia gold. That being said I always try to have at least one gold shop item on my avi at a time, and if I'm looking for that one item/splash of colour I head to the gold shop first. I don't like all the items in the gold shops, but many of the new ones are pretty decent and look nice as well.

Gold shop updates are typically my favorite updates. There are a lot of nice things in the gold shops and I discovered just how nice when my gold started going up and the prices stayed the same. I used to grind for 1k to buy a shirt, and now, I can have tons of shirts right away in every color. Also, the gold shop caters to the newer users usually so the prices for new items are often wonderfully low. Back in 2005, I always wanted to be one of those people who could afford to buy the new shop items as soon as they came out. And now I can. What was I saying? Oh right. Gold shops have nice stuff.

I think it's all the little things that the Gold Shop's sell that I love most; the glasses, watches and jewelry help add character to an avatar.

I agree with this. Adding the right pair of glasses can change the entire vibe of the avatar. The Rose-Tinted Glasses and the Black Scholarly Spectacles are two of my favorites.
As for me, probably 1/3 of what I'm wearing on any given day are gold shop items.
Staples in my wardrobe have recently included High Elf skirts and bodices and Erlking Ears.
Buddhist Monk Straw Sandals and Feet Wraps is also a favorite item combination of mine. I love the textures of those two items.